Nomad 2023

These are the birds that I thought were storks but aren't. They are spoonbills, I wish I had a zoom lens on my phone, they have ridiculously long bills that look like long wooden spoons. Anyway, I might never have perfect wind conditions for crossing the bay of Cadiz, today will have to do. Arrive tomorrow.

Cape of Santa Maria lighthouse in the morning. I can only get ashore at Olhao a couple of hours either side of high water so I am returning to Faro. Just killing time until I can cross to Cadiz.

Olhao. A big town I had never heard of right next to Faro. Today is market day and I dashed to get ashore before it closed. The steps in the photo are the only place to land in a dinghy and the slipway is covered in green slime that it is Impossible to stand up on so I gave onlookers something to see and walked around town with a green arse. I wedged the rope into a crack in the wall as there were no tying up points and left it there for a couple of hours. I'm not worried about it being taken when there are so many people around. 

Nomad. Happy at anchor. Change of mind. I enjoyed the row ashore yesterday evening, good exercise. Rowing because the outboard needs attention, it has petrol coming out where it shouldn't. I'll stay in Faro awhile. The next good forecast for crossing the bay of Cadiz is Wed/Thur and the Gibraltar straits Sat/Sun. That's the plan. The weather is incredible, it's 21c here, 28c in Valencia. The big white birds that I saw on the shore coming in weren't storks, I don't know what they were, these are storks, there's loads of them here in the town centre. I bought oranges in the supermarket yesterday. What a fool! More storks. Sometimes they make a click clucking sound like the zombies in World War Z.

Approaching Faro. This area is all saltwater marshes, a bit like Tollesbury but sand instead of mud. Great for birdwatching, I saw flamingos and storks on the way up the creek, I don't know if the flamingos are native, I doubt it, but still great to see. Unfortunately, Faro doesn't have a marina, something I didn't forsee, so I have to anchor half a mile off and row ashore or use the outboard if it still works. But I can't do that because the breeze is too strong and even if I get ashore I might not be able to get back. I'll do it later when the wind drops but it's going to be a quick visit for essentials only, Faro sightseeing will have to be for another day.

Rounding Cape St Vincent. This is the Ponta de Sagres. They are too small to see but there are lots of men at the top dangling their fishing rods over the cliff edge. It is 50 metres high. My anchorage. It is beautiful here, people on the beach, some in the water which is 14c. I'm anchored in 6 metres and the water is clear enough to see the bottom.

I've been here way too long. Goodbye Lisbon.

A week of unfavourable winds ahead so I'll be here for a while more. Museums and churches await.